Master of Seduction
by BethSHeartbeat
Summary: Just taking Zoe's job was no longer enough, Zoe seemed happier than ever and that angered Connie. Now she wanted to ruin Zoe's happiness.
1. Chapter 1

It had started off as a mission to get Zoe's job, she'd done whatever she could to get it including sleeping with Guy Self, setting out to discredit Zoe and even turning all the staff against Zoe. Zoe hadn't gone down easily though and they'd locked horns on numerous occasions, for Connie simply having Zoe's job wasn't anywhere near enough. Now it was all out war, a war that Zoe wasn't aware she was fighting.

Now that Zoe was no longer clinical lead she seemed more content with her life than Connie had ever seen her. It made Connie feel like the victory of beating her out for clinical lead somehow feel less important, less special, less of an achievement. Now she wanted to ruin Zoe in whatever way possible, Connie's personal life had always been so messy and she knew that Zoe's was something of the same. It seemed that Zoe had sorted hers and was happy now, which meant that Connie was jealous. Fair enough Connie had what Zoe never could, a child, but Connie didn't know that.

The one area that Connie knew about and that she could do something about was relationships. The secret nature of Zoe and Max's relationship wasn't something that had been missed by Connie. She'd seen the longing looks and flirting that was becoming more daring, she'd even seen Max sneaking into Zoe's car when they thought that no one was watching. Max was the one making Zoe happy and that was what she wanted to destroy, and in the only way she knew how, seducing him.

**A/N I know that this is really short but I needed a way to give you the basics and this was the only way. I'm hoping that it'll only be another chapter and that it'll be a lot meatier. This came to me last night after Casualty while I was talking to one of my good friends. Hope you enjoy and please R&amp;R.**


	2. Chapter 2

Connie sat in her and Zoe's still shared office, Zoe was in resus giving Connie a chance to do some paperwork, after all she was keeping a tight ship. Today was the day that she was going to put her plan into action. Zoe had walked into the ED that morning with a happy glow, a glow that sickened Connie. She was interrupted from her thoughts by the knocking on the door.

"Come in." Connie ordered, only to find that it was Max who wanted access to the office.

"Oh, erm... I was looking for Zoe." Max stuttered.

"Why?" Connie asked casually.

"She had a patient that she said needed moving up to a ward a while ago but I was just checking whether she was ready for me to take them now." Max replied coolly.

"Oh, why don't you sit down?" Connie began as Max did what she'd asked. She walked the short distance from her side of her desk to where he was sitting. "I've always found you very attractive you know, the way you act so cool and make everyone laugh. You're kind of cheeky, I like that in a man." She continued, trying her best to flirt with the porter in front of her, with whom she'd never even interact with if she had the choice.

"Erm, well I'm sure you'll find someone."

"I don't want someone, I want you." She said as she carefully positioned herself on Max's knee, making sure she could see between the slight gaps in the window so she could see when Zoe was approaching.

"Mrs. Beauchamp, I don't know what's wrong with you just now. Maybe you need to get one of them to give you a brain scan or something?" He rambled and then pointed at the direction of the door. "You usually look at me like something you've stepped in."

"That was the only way that I knew how to cover my feelings." Connie lied, with each passing second she was hating this situation but she reminded herself that the outcome would be worth it. From between the blinds she could see the blue of Zoe's dress approaching and then the tell tale sound of her heels as she walked. This was her moment, if she was going to do this then it was going to have to be done properly. She leant into Max and kissed him just as the door opened. Max was still for a moment, purely out of shock, until he came to his senses. He turned around and saw Zoe and it was then that he realized that Connie was still on the war path as far as Zoe was concerned, and that she didn't care what damage it did.

"I didn't realize that you were busy, I'll just get my bag and go." Zoe said calmly so that neither of them could see the pain that their actions had caused, her interior was a completely different story to her exterior.

Zoe had left just as swiftly as she had entered and as soon as Zoe had closed the door, Connie had jumped off Max's lap and had a drink of water, as if to wash away his lips from hers.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Max asked as he stood up and walked over to her.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Zoe looked pretty upset though." Connie told him as she cocked her head lightly.

"You really are a cow, you know that? We were a team in this ED before you arrived, we had a brilliant service and then you come in her and make her doubt herself. You know what though? She's worth at least 10 of you, if not more." Max told Connie before leaving and slamming the door behind him, and set out looking for Zoe to explain what happened. He prayed to God that she believed his version of events, the true version of events, but Connie had made Zoe doubt everything she did in a sly way and this wouldn't be any different.

A/N So it's going to be longer than two chapters it seems, I'm hoping it won't go on much longer because I have a few more ongoing Casualty fics and have another few planned that I'd like to move on to. Hope you're still enjoying this and thanks for following, favouriting and reviewing :)


	3. Chapter 3

Max ran out of the ED, no longer caring how suspicious he looked. He needed to get to Zoe and now. Once outside he stopped to catch his breath as he looked around him in search of Zoe. She wasn't in her normal smoking spot, she wasn't even in the little garden that she liked to sit in when the pressure of the ED all felt too much and she needed a minutes break. Max was beginning to get extremely worried until he caught sight of a figure in Zoe's car. It wasn't moving and from the distance he could see, had it's head on the steering wheel. That's how he decided that the car was not being stolen and instead that Zoe had retreated to her car.

He walked over to her car, and unsurprisingly found that her car doors were unlocked. She looked up as Max slid into the passengers seat and stared at her.  
"What do you want?" Zoe snapped, there were tear stains down her cheeks which betrayed the facade she was putting on, however by now he knew better than to point that out.  
"I think that's obvious." Max stated simply.  
"Well then I think my reply is just as simple; get out."  
"Zo..." Max began as he went to move a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  
"No Max, listen. We may have not ever clarified what this was between us but I thought you'd have more sense than to sleep with Connie. Or is it just that you like women in charge? Do you get a kick out of sleeping with the boss? Go back inside to Connie, you're welcome to her. After all it was never me that you wanted, it was just the thrill."  
"Let me stop you right there. Snap out of this Zoe and think about it for a moment. You know that I hate Connie just as much as you. You know how beautiful I think you are, your smile lights up a room and makes my heart feel like it's doing flips. You bring out the good in me and the cheeky side. Before you I'd never been in love, because that's what this is Zoe, love. I love you." Zoe studied his face for a minute to try and decide just how serious he was being. Her heart was screaming at her to accept it and repeat the phrase, however her head was telling her to push a bit further.  
"How do I know you mean that? How do I know you aren't going to go straight back in there and back to Connie."  
"Do you know what, I could..." Zoe stared at him with shock. "But I'm not going to and you're going to have to trust me. I'm being honest with you when we talk about 'Connie the Cow'. She's figured that we're together Zoe and she's out to ruin you. She has everything she wanted from you and yet you're even happier than before, she doesn't like that. Connie has set out to do whatever it takes to destroy you, you can't let her win. I'm serious when I tell you I love you so why don't we go in there and rub her nose in our happiness?" Max pushed a bit further.  
"I don't get why she's doing this to me, she got what she wanted. That should mean that we're both happy. And yes Max, I love you too." Zoe sighed, she was lost in all of this but she did know that she loved Max. "By the sounds of it, it seems that you have a plan so how about you kiss me and then you tell me this plan of yours?" Zoe smiled cheekily at him as he complied and leant in to kiss her. 


	4. Chapter 4

"You're back." Connie simply stated as Zoe walked back into their shared office and sat at her desk.

"Looks like it." Zoe replied just as simply as she opened a file in front of her. She saw the disappointment clearly in Connie's eyes as she looked up for a moment and couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.

"About before..." Connie began.

"It's fine, none of my business really." Zoe told her overly sweetly, making Connie feel sick.

"I don't know why he kissed me, he just came onto me."

"As I said, none of my business really." Zoe smiled, a playful look coming to her face as she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Connie called. "Oh it's you, what do you want Max?" Connie asked coldly Max opened the door to the office and then closed it behind him.

"That's an easy one, not you." Max laughed as he walked around to Zoe and kissed her. If it wasn't for the fact that both Zoe and Max had their eyes closed then they would have seen the pure fury painted across Connie's features.

"Is it power that does it for you?" Connie asked bluntly as the couple in front of her pulled apart.

"No, do you know what does do it for him though Connie?" Zoe started, but gave her arch enemy no time to reply before she began again. "Me. See I know you know that we're together, I know you don't like that. You might be a lonely old cow who no one would touch with a barge pole, but I'm happy and you aren't going to get in the way of that."

"If he were that happy then he wouldn't have kissed me." Connie pointed out, determined that she would not give this up.

"The difference between you and Zo, Mrs Beauchamp, is that Zoe can light up a whole room just by stepping into it. People want to be around Zoe, she brings out the best in people and people are happy around her, could the same really be said for you? Zoe makes me love her more every second of the day that I am with her, something which I didn't think was possible. I fell in love with Zoe Hanna, not you. Another major difference between you is that she doesn't need to force herself on someone or set out to ruin someone else to make herself feel valuable. Just for the record too, you're an awful kisser." Max told her, lacing the insults with his usual cheeky smile before turning back to Zoe and kissing her.

"Well I doubt you'd stay happy once everyone knew about you two." Connie tried as a last ditch attempt at sowing seeds of doubt in Zoe's head.

"That's where you're wrong, I think they would be." Max threw back.

"I'm sure they will be but when we tell them Connie, see if anything gets out between now and Max and I deciding to announce our relationship then I will become informing your staff of what went on here today and let's see how much more they hate you then."

"You wouldn't dare." Connie tired.

"Try me." Zoe replied bluntly as she took Max's hand. "Now Max and I will be taking the rest of the day off, you have more than enough staff on this shift so it won't be a problem."

"You ready Zo?" Max asked as Zoe picked up her coat and handbag.

"Yep."

"Good because I was thinking a nice dinner and then a relaxing night in front of the tv?"

"I have a better idea." Zoe replied playfully before reaching up and whispering something into Max's ear.

"That sounds even better. Let's go. Night Mrs Beauchamp." Max said, finally acknowledging Connie again before he left the office.

"Let's not have a repeat of today because next time it'll be even worse for you." Zoe told Connie before she too left. Hopefully this spelt the end of the war between them, now Zoe had the upper hand she doubted Connie was willing to jeprodise the limited respect she already had in order to beat her, she couldn't see it continuing and that was how she liked it.


End file.
